Fall Allergies Are Real. And They’re Getting Worse.
Can You Have Eczema In Your Ear?
Ear eczema symptoms include dry, scaly, itchy skin on and around your ear. It can affect your outer ear or inside your ear canal. Treatment can depend on the type and cause of eczema.
Some causes of ear eczema, such as contact dermatitis due to wearing earrings, get resolved by removing the trigger. Other types, like atopic dermatitis may require medical treatments to manage symptoms.
Keep reading to learn more about the different types of ear eczema and how to treat them.
Symptoms of ear eczema can include:
Ear eczema can affect the skin of your ear, the area behind your ear, and the fold between your earlobe and face. Sometimes, it can also affect your ear canal, which runs from your eardrum to your ear's opening.
Atopic dermatitis
It can affect your ears and the skin behind it. Atopic dermatitis can develop between your face and earlobe.
Atopic dermatitis may also develop on your outer ear and down your ear canal.
The exact cause of atopic dermatitis is unclear, but it may happen due to a combination of factors such as:
Contact dermatitis
Contact dermatitis results from contact with an irritant or something you're allergic to.
Common irritants that can cause ear eczema include:
Asteatotic eczema
Older people (ages 65 years and older) are more likely to have asteatotic eczema. This happens due to the exposure of the skin to changes in the weather.
Several factors can worsen it, including overwashing, indoor heating, and windy conditions.
Seborrheic dermatitis
Seborrheic dermatitis tends to affect oily areas of the body, including the scalp. It can also affect your ears, especially the skin behind them.
Doctors aren't sure what causes it. But it could be related to a fungus in the oil secreted by the glands in your skin or an immune system response.
Your doctor can usually diagnose ear eczema by doing a basic exam of your ears. They may also use a light to look inside your ears to check for any irritation of your external ear canal.
Depending on your symptoms and medical history, they may also order a biopsy. This involves taking a small sample of skin cells from the affected area and looking at it under a microscope.
A biopsy of the skin tissue of your ear can help your doctor rule out similar conditions, such as psoriasis.
You may require allergy testing to determine the cause of allergic contact dermatitis.
Treating ear eczema depends on both the underlying cause and the area it affects.
If you have allergic or irritant contact dermatitis, you might need to stop using certain products or wearing earrings.
If you have seborrheic eczema, you may need to apply an antifungal ointment to the affected part of your ear. Your doctor might also prescribe a topical steroid to reduce inflammation, especially if the skin behind your ear is affected.
If you have symptoms in your external ear canal, your doctor can prescribe steroid ear drops.
It's important to keep the area moisturized, regardless of the type of eczema you have. Avoid using harsh soaps and cleansers around your ears, which can dry your skin and worsen your symptoms.
Make sure you don't use any long objects, like a cotton swab, to apply products to the inside of your ear.
If this happens, wax, hair, and skin can build up in your ear canal, leading to ear infections or hearing issues.
Contact your doctor if you notice:
If you develop infected eczema, you'll likely need a combination of antibiotics and topical steroids to clear up the infection and ease your symptoms.
Ear eczema can be due to atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, asteatotic eczema, or contact dermatitis. It causes dry, itchy skin on or around your ear or sometimes in your ear canal.
Treatment depends on the underlying cause but may include avoiding triggers such as earrings or hair products. Topical ointments can also help.
Contact your doctor if you have concerns about ear eczema. They can determine the cause of your symptoms and advise a suitable treatment plan.
Ear Congestion Causes And How To Relieve Painful Pressure
There are several possible causes of ear congestion, including sinusitis, allergies, and earwax impaction. Over-the-counter (OTC), prescription, and natural treatments can help treat ear congestion.
Ear congestion refers to a feeling of fullness in the ears. A person may feel that their ears are clogged or blocked up. This can also lead to hearing difficulties, dizziness, and ear pain.
In this article, we discuss different cause of ear congestion and their treatments.
Conditions that lead to inflammation or congestion in the sinuses can also lead to ear congestion.
Examples of conditions that affect the sinuses and the ears include:
Treatment
Treatments for sinus-related ear congestion vary, depending on the underlying cause. Most sinus infections resolve independently, without medical treatment. However, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics if a person has a bacterial sinus infection.
Ear congestion related to sinusitis or viral infections, such as a cold or flu, will typically go away once the underlying condition or cause of inflammation resolves. However, if middle ear fluid develops due to infection, congestion may linger after the active infection, until the fluid clears.
Avoiding irritants and allergens that trigger sinusitis can also help relieve ear congestion.
To manage the symptoms of sinus conditions and ear congestion, a person can:
Allergic rhinitis, or nasal allergies, occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the environment, such as pollen, dust, or pet dander.
A 2019 article notes that allergic rhinitis can also affect the ears. People with allergic rhinitis may experience:
Typical symptoms of allergic rhinitis include:
Treatment
To relieve ear congestion that occurs due to allergies, a person can take allergy medications, such as decongestants and antihistamines.
The NICCIH also list probiotics, honey, and pine bark extract as potential treatment options, but the results of current studies provide conflicting or weak evidence to support their efficacy.
Elevation changes can lead to ear-popping.
This occurs when the air pressure outside the ear is different to the air pressure inside the eustachian tubes. The eustachian tubes are narrow canals that connect the middle ear to the upper throat and nasal cavity.
Changes in air pressure occur during air travel, deep-sea diving, or whenever a person travels to higher or lower altitudes.
Treatment
To relieve ear congestion due to elevation changes, a person can try:
If at all possible, a person should descend or ascend slowly to allow the eustachian tubes time to equalize the pressure in the middle ear.
They can also try performing the Valsalva and Toynbee maneuvers.
Valsalva maneuver
A person should be cautious when performing the Valsalva maneuver to avoid rupturing the eardrum.
Toynbee maneuver
A person may find that it is helpful to swallow a mouthful of water.
Earwax, also known as cerumen, is a waxy substance that the ear canal produces.
Having some earwax is good. It helps clean and protect the ear canal. However, too much earwax can lead to a condition called cerumen impaction.
People with excess earwax or cerumen impaction may experience the following symptoms:
If a person's ear drum is healthy and intact, they can remove excess earwax at home with the following tips:
Hydrogen peroxide ear drops
When using ear drops, it is important to follow the instructions on the packaging. Typically, a person inserts up to five drops in the ear once or twice per day. They can do this for 3–7 days.
Almond or olive oil
According to the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), a person can put two or three drops of almond or olive oil in the ear. They should do this twice per day for a few days.
Over 2 weeks, the earwax should fall out of the ear, especially during sleep when a person is lying down.
Irrigation
A person may prefer a healthcare professional to perform ear irrigation. However, they can perform an ear irrigation at home.
Unsafe treatments
It is important to note that people should not perform ear candling. This is because it is ineffective and may cause injury.
Ear infections can also lead to ear congestion. Ear infections occur when a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection develops in the middle ear. The infection leads to inflammation and fluid accumulation in the eustachian tube. Fluid buildup can cause a feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear.
Anyone can get an ear infection. However, they are most common in children. Symptoms of an ear infection include:
Treatment
Some middle ear infections resolve on their own, without medical treatment. However, bacterial middle ear infections may require antibiotics. Plenty of rest and drinking clear fluids, such as water or tea, may help an ear infection heal faster. A person can use OTC medication, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to relieve pain and fevers.
Doctors can treat fungal outer ear infections with topical antifungal medications. They can also remove fungi with a small vacuum. This procedure is known as ear aspiration.
The symptoms of Meniere's disease occur when fluid builds up in the labyrinth of the inner ear. The labyrinth consists of semicircular canals that help regulate balance, and the cochlea, which is responsible for hearing.
Treatment
People can treat Meniere's disease with prescription drugs, such as:
Alternative treatments for Meniere's disease include:
Other causes of ear congestion include:
People can often treat ear congestion with home remedies and OTC medications.
However, a person may want to speak with a doctor about their ear congestion if:
Ear congestion can resolve on its own. Causes of ear congestion can include earwax compaction, changes in altitude, infections, and allergies.
While some causes of ear congestion do not require medical intervention, people should contact a doctor if their symptoms persist or if they experience symptoms of a severe ear infection, such as:
Girl, Five, Temporarily Paralysed After Catching Flu And Showing Odd Symptom
A young girl was struck by a terrifying bout of temporary paralysis, a rare complication of the flu, as her mother Kota spotted early warning signs with her tiptoeing. After contracting flu, five year old Aurora Burden-Schott began suffering muscle pains, leading her vigilant mother to consult a paediatrician.
At first, hydration seemed the answer, yet when Aurora lost movement in her legs post-nap, Kota rushed her to the hospital. Spending three days under medical care and receiving fluids, Aurora managed to walk after two days, a victim of rhabdomyolysis, a rare and severe condition caused by the flu that leaks damaged muscle contents into the blood.
Now on the mend, Aurora is regaining strength while her mother, a nail technician from Lima, Ohio, US, campaigns for symptom awareness of this perilous condition. Recounting her daughter's ordeal, Kota said: "She was struggling walking and complaining of really bad leg pain. I noticed she was tiptoeing around. She was having so much pain in her legs and couldn't lay her foot flat."
As for Aurora's flu battle earlier in the year, her mother detailed: "The symptoms first started as typical flu. She had nausea and vomiting and headaches. It lasted for four days. We had two days where it seemed her symptoms were alleviating. I thought we were at the tail end."
Recalling the distressing events, Kota said: "Later on we had taken a little nap and when woke up that's when she was unable to use her legs." The severity of the situation was overwhelming, as Kota described: "She had no motion in the bottom half of her body."
Kota highlighted Aurora's immobility, saying, "She couldn't wiggle her toes. It was really scary. It was almost as if she was paralysed from the waist down."
Aurora even mentioned how heavy her legs felt. In the emergency room, tests including blood work and an X-ray showed dangerously high muscle enzyme levels, resulting in a diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis, a severe flu complication where muscles start to break down.
Clarifying the situation, Kota explained, "The virus is attacking the muscles and they deteriorate.Thankfully, after IV treatment and hospital monitoring, Aurora gained back some mobility. Kota said: " Thankfully, after IV treatment and hospital monitoring, Aurora regained some mobility. Kota revealed: "After the end of the first day she was able to get some movement in her legs. She was able to walk after the second."
After only three days post-operation, she was back at home. Medical experts surmise that the recent medical procedures, including a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and ear tube insertion, might have compromised her immune system, leaving her open to serious conditions such as rhabdomyolysis.
Kota reflected on the potentially fatal turn of events, "It could have caused some pretty serious permanent damage."
Nonetheless, Aurora is now recovering well, and her mother, Kota, has taken it upon herself to increase public awareness about the risks, encouraging others not to overlook muscle pains as they can be an indicator of the flu. She underscored: "I'm glad I trusted my gut and realized something wasn't right. People assume kids are going to have muscle aches when they get the flu."
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